Abominable Snowman 'Arrested' on Alleged DUI... by Santa Claus

The Abominable Snowman was arrested in Oregon earlier this week for impaired driving.

His arresting officer? Santa Claus.

The yeti, a native to the Himalayas, was photographed by the St. Helens Police Department getting cuffed and fingerprinted before spending a lonely night in a cell.

“He took that breath test, he blew twice the legal limit. We later learned that peppermint [schnapps] was the beverage of choice,” Chief of Police Terry Moss told InsideEdition.com. “Nevertheless, he was treated like anybody else who receives a DUI in St. Helens and he was lodged into the jail.”

He pleaded guilty to the charge during his first appearance Wednesday afternoon.

Moss said they had hired Santa Claus, who sported a blue velvet uniform, to officially join their team ahead of the holidays.

“Anything Santa did on patrol was going to garner quite a bit of attention […] the decision was made to treat this arrest like any other, and make sure that everything was followed by the book and Mr. Snowman was brought to justice,” Moss explained. “Because of his unique circumstances and Santa’s schedule […] the judge expedited the sentencing and sentenced him today to two days in jail and probation.”

And of course, Claus clearly took the moment to demonstrate that while naughty children get coal, bad adults get arrested.

While the photo shoot was staged by the police department as a part of their Christmas campaign, Moss said they believed it was an opportunity to remind locals about the perils of drunk driving over the holidays.

“Each and every year we send out messages to the community about, you know, don’t drink and drive, be responsible, party responsibly and try to share that message,” Moss said. “I don’t know how effective that is, to be quite honest with you.”